CtB 2014 Mock Draft

Who doesn’t love a mock draft? At this point, we’ve all read dozens. Why not one more!? CtB’s mock now has 25% more mocking! For the first pick, we all got together and voted, and then we went by order of seniority to pick everyone else in a classic snake draft. Riveting, right? Aside from the 18 trades that will happen, tonight, we’re sure this is exactly how it will play out.

1.) Cleveland Cavaliers: Andrew Wiggins, 6’8″, Kansas, SF. The votes came in like this: four votes for Wiggins, one vote for Embiid, and one vote for… Exum? (Nate just had to be different). Cleveland does the smart thing, and avoids taking an overweight tweener for the second year in a row. Jabari Parker does a leap of joy because he gets to go to Milwaukee, land of sausage and curds. Andrew Wiggins locks down the opposing team’s best scorer for the next ten years, and Uncle Drew starts practicing his lob passes to Nephew ‘Drew.

3.) Philadelphia 76ers (Mallory Factor): Dante Exum, 6’6″, Australia, PG. It’s already pretty clear Philly has no intent on winning RIGHT NOW, and thank goodness, because Exum won’t help in that regard. However, he’s athletic, smart, and raw. Pairing him with MCW would make an incredibly tall, versatile backcourt. And if he or MCW ever develop a reliable jumper? Watch out.

4.) Orlando Magic (Nate Smith): Marcus Smart, 6’3″, Oklahoma State, PG. The Magic looked long and hard at Embiid before they realized that they could have the best two-way backcourt since Gary Payton and Nate McMillan. With Oladipo, that’s going to be some intimidating ball pressure. Jarrett Jack just turned the ball over in a pickup game somewhere at the mere thought.

5.) Utah Jazz (Robert Attenweiler): Joel Embiid, 7’0″, Kansas, C. Jazz have a big choice to make. They could stand still and allow Joel Embiid’s agent, Arn Tellum, to successfully steer his convalescing client straight to Boston or the L.A. They could take Noah Vonleh, the highest rated non-injured player on the board and continue to accrue the deepest (redundant) set of young PF/Cs around. Ultimately, they extend a solitary middle finger to everyone, take Embiid and let everyone in Cleveland, Philly, Milwaukee and Orlando exhale with an, “Okay, even if he’s really good, at least he won’t be really good for the Celtics or Lakers… well, at least, not for a while.”

6.) Boston Celtics (David Wood): Aaron Gordon, 6’9″, Arizona, PF. The Celtics realize they need a defensive minded big guy. Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk are wonderful players, but their combined vertical is less than a phone book, and it’s a tragedy watching them trying to defend a big man that steps out or just moves swiftly. The Celtics take the project, Aaron Gordon. Rajon Rondo rejoices that he has a new friend to score points on the break with, while Brad Stevens has flashbacks to developing players at Butler.

7.) L.A. Lakers (Ben Werth): Noah Vonleh, 6’9″, Indiana, PF.The Lakers can’t stop giggling as they select Noah Vonleh out of Indiana. And to think, they had almost convinced themselves that Randle was the next Zach Randolph. Vonleh asks Kobe if it’s ok to shoot occasionally, ya know, on a putback or something. Kobe doesn’t respond to his text.

8.) Sacramento Kings (Ben): Julius Randle, 6’9″, Kentucky, PF. The Kings have convinced themselves that Julius Randle is the next Zach Randolph. DeMarcus Cousins immediately calls to welcome Randle to the Kings. They lament the public’s misconception of Friedrich Nietzsche and share their favorite quotes. Boogie recites “You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” Randle counters with “The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.”

9.) Charlotte Bobcats (David): Nik Stauskus, 6’6″, Michigan, SG. The Bobcats know they need to grab a shooter to convert on all the open looks Big Al is creating from being double teamed. When Nik meets Michael Jordan for the first, MJ refuses to call him Nik and calls him “Steve Kerr.” Nik’s teammates are secretly jealous MJ has taken such a liking to him and haze him extra hard.

10.) Philadelphia 76ers (Robert): Dario Saric, 6’10”, Croatia, SF/PF. The Sixers, who really don’t have any plans to be good before 2018, can wait on Dario Saric. Saric is probably NBA-ready now but, after signing a new contract on Monday (a three year deal — the third year being a player option) to stay in Europe, he’s off limits for the next couple of seasons, making this pick the only time you’ll hear the Sixers connected with any player signing a free agent contract this year…

11.) Denver Nuggets (Nate): Zach LaVine, 6’6″, UCLA, SG. Denver is in a horrific purgatory. They have to get much better, or much worse to go anywhere in the NBA. To that end, they need to swing for the fences. Six-foot-six inch Zach Levine is the highest upside player on the board at this point. He has size, athleticism, shooting, and is the best long term pick here, even though he’s raw as a turkey leg before a renaissance fair.

12.) Orlando Magic (Mallory): Doug McDermott, 6’8″, Creighton, SF/PF. With Orlando already grabbing their PG of the future (and a solid rotation of SGs and Centers in the bank), it’s clear Orlando needs length and scoring ability. Their man? McDermott. Imagine a forward tandem of Dougie and Tobias? That’d be awfully hard to defend. (In both senses of the term).

13.) Minnesota Timberwolves (Tom): Adreian Payne, 6’10”, Michigan, PF. The T-Wolves select a Point Guh….hmm? Oh, right David Khan is gone. The Timberwolves look to fill the gaping hole left at PF by Kevin Love’s departure to some other team’s injured list. They select Adreian Payne. All the bloggers in Minny immediately start trying to think of nicknames “AP”? “Max Payne”? — so they don’t have to remember how to spell Adreian. Payne provides a dynamic offensive skill set including floor stretching ability at the 4 position and comes in slightly less raw than some of his counterparts.

14.) Phoenix Suns (Tom): Jusuf Nurkic, 6’11”, Bosnia, C. Nurkic is a load of a player that happens to excel at pick and roll two-man. The Suns will continue to Dragic people to death.

15.) Atlanta Hawks (Mallory) Rodney Hood, 6’8″, Duke, SF. The Hawks continue to do their best San Antonio imitation, with a bevy of spot up shooters and rim attackers. Hood fits this bill perfectly. While he’s not the best defender, Rodney is a natural born shooter with the ability to score in a multitude of ways. It’ll certainly be hard to defend a lineup of Hood, Teague, Korver, Millsap, and Horford.

17.) Boston Celtics (Robert) Gary Harris, 6’5″, Michigan, SG. The 17th pick gives Boston the chance to answer the question: how do we keep our perimeter defense out of the toilet when we rest Avery Bradley? Easy. You draft Gary Harris, a solid two-way player and an absolute steal this late in the draft, then watch the trio of Rondo, Bradley and Harris become the Anderson Varejao of backcourts, making every opponent consider retirement out of sheer annoyance at life.

18.) Phoenix Suns (David) Kyle Anderson, 6’8″, UCLA, SF. In an attempt to make the most fun team for NBA 2k15, the Suns start a line up with three guys that can dribble and pass. Will other teams handle their video game skills when they have half their points in transition and Kyle Anderson is dribbling around the three line for 15 seconds before he whips a pass to a cutting Eric Bledsoe who throws a down a monster dunk, or will the other coach rage quit?

21.) Oklahoma City Thunder (David) James Young, 6’7″, SG/SF. OKC needs someone that can knock down open looks and make a little bit of offense on their own, and Young knows how to play behind a talented scorer already. Thabo Sefolosha was very nice and left behind some tips on playing NBA defense in his locker for Young, even though Young wanted fellow lefty James Harden’s old locker.

22.) Memphis Grizzlies (Robert) T.J. Warren, 6’9″, North Carolina State, SF/PF. The Grizz are happy to have N.C. State’s T.J. Warren fall to them. Warren should provide an immediate scoring punch off the Memphis bench, which is something they dearly need. The only real question is whether there are enough touches in the Memphis second unit to go between Warren and Jon Leuer. *cough, cough*

23.) Utah Jazz (Nate) Jordan Adams, 6’5″, UCLA, SG. The Jazz grab a guy who is coveted by closet stat geeks. Confession here: Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey and I secretly trade play-by-play logs over the shadow web. My favorite box scores to read by the light of my cell phone when I’m lying in bed at night are Jordan Adams': 2.6 steals per game? 5.3 boards? 2:1 assist to turnover ratio? 55.1% on twos? Oh baby… Those are some titillating two way skills. Adams trumps even Marcus Smart on some analysts’ radars. I think I need to be alone now.

24.) Charlotte Bobcats (Mallory) Tyler Ennis, 6’2″, Syracuse, PG. The HORNETS (buzz buzz!), are a pretty decent team with one feature player, lots of young guys who are growing, and a bunch of good pieces around them. What they need more than anything is a mega-star to push them over the top, something they’re clearly not getting at 24. The move? Grab the highest-ceiling player available. The guy? Tyler Ennis. Sure, he’s more of an athlete than an actual NBA player at this point, but he fills a future position of need (back-up, spark-plug bench guy – amazingly, Gary Neal, Luke Ridnour, and Pargo don’t excite me…). This kid should’ve gone way higher based on potential alone. The Bobornets are excited to get him.

25.) Houston Rockets (Tom) Walter Tavares, 7’3″, Cape Verde, C. The quintessential backup big – never tries to do too much, huge body, rebounds well. At 7’3″, he won’t try to do too much will try to stay out of the way offensively and will invariably alter some shots around the rim while Dwight Howard is sitting on the bench with two fouls.

26.) Miami Heat (Tom) Russ Smith, 6’1″, Louisville, PG. A steady point guard that functions just as well setting up teammates as he does scoring: Miami may need one of those in a couple weeks.

27.) Phoenix Suns (Mallory) Mitch McGary, 6’10”, Michigan, C. Another perfect fit for a team I’m drafting for (wow, this is a good draft!) Phoenix takes a good interior presence who plays inside more than out (that’s a first in a while for them!). [Editors note: At this point Mallory had drafted a previously selected player for the fourth time in a row, to which he replied, “ARGH! This draft,” and replaced Clint Capela’s name with Mitch McGary’s]

28.) L.A. Clippers (Nate) C.J. Wilcox, 6’5″, Washington, SG. The last thing the Clippers need is a 19 or 20 year old rookie. So the senior, Wilcox, can come in and contribute right away, especially when Collison opts out, and Crawford has to move to backup point guard. Plus, since the Clippers will be dumping half their team for a run at LeBron, they’ll need all the low priced help they can get.

29.) Oklahoma City Thunder (Nate) Spencer Dinwiddie, 6’5″, Colorado, SG. The Thunder have proven they can rehab knee injuries, and Dinwiddie’s ACL should stand up to the test. Dinwiddie gets Thabo’s old locker, and OKC gets someone who can pass, knock down open threes, and defend the two guard spot. [Editors note: the commissioner stepped in and picked for Robert, here. Between writing multiple pieces in three days for Truehoop and CtB and The Triangle Offense, Robert was apparently “too busy” for the 29th round of our precious mock draft. Who says Superman doesn’t need sleep?]

30.) San Antonio Spurs (David) Bogdan Bogdanovic, 6’6″, Serbia, SG. The always surprising Spurs take the Serbian guard, Bogdan Bogdanovic. He’s going to be Manu Mills and is the missing piece for next year’s foreign legion.

[Editors note: After three days, the email train utterly broke down, with the bloggers looking as weary as the Cavs at the end of last season. Tom and I hit clean-up, and when we were done, I told him, “Let’s never do this again.”]

31.) Milwaukee Bucks (Tom) Glenn Robinson III, 6’7″ Michigan, SF. The sentimental pick… Robinson has good length and has finished many a lob during his time in college. Milwaukee needs yet another small forward, right? He’ll get the Bucks some steals, plus Glenn Robinson in Milwaukee turned out so well the first time…

33.) Cleveland Cavaliers (Nate) K.J. McDaniels, 6’6″, Clemson, SF. Ben talked up McDaniels in our Monday podcast, and got me all excited. I know he plays the same position as Wiggins (K.J., not Ben), but by this time, the Cavs will have probably traded Wiggins and half their roster to another team for all their draft picks and half their roster, so why not take a 6’6″ guy who averaged 7.1 boards and 2.8 blocks. to go with 17 points a game, and who’s automatic in transition? If McDaniel ever fixes the footwork on his jumper, he could really be something. Plus, I can watch him in Canton.

There it is! 33 picks in the book. You don’t even need to watch the draft, now.

Winning the first pick in the Lottery really isn’t ‘winning the lottery’. To win the Lottery we need to pick the best player. The thing that makes this lottery so special is that so many different guys have a legit chance to be the best player form this draft. Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Smart, Randall, Exum… there is really no clear winning ticket here. Potential v Talent v Measurments and Mentality etc.

I think the Cavs go with Wiggins. He and Parker are the only picks that 5 years from now if they turn into complete ‘bust’ they can still say at least it was the pick that made the most sense. Picking anybody other than those two guys, and if they bust, then the pick was ‘reaching’ or ‘stupid’ or ‘too risky’ and the kind of pick used to explain why a tean is still in the lottery.

If the Cavs do take either Wiggins or Parker #1, would taking another SF at #33 be the best move? At some point, Karasev has to get some playing time. Perhaps a Euro-stash big is a better way to go. Artem Klimekno is 7’1, moblie. It would probably be 2 – 3 seasons before he could contribute, but it could pay off in the long run.

Did I miss out on why Karasev was out of favor last year? At draft, there were a lot of folks high on him, and the fact that he fell to us midway through the first round. Did he not play well? Was Brown the problem? I don;t ever remember seeing anything on why Karasev became a forgotten man.

Perhaps. But he wasn’t given much of a chance either. He played in 22 games and averaged 7.1 minutes. Most of that was at the start of the season. Watching Danny Green play on the Spurs should be a reminder for the Cavs not to give up on a player too early.

If the Cavs really think they have something at #33, then yes, I guess you draft him regardless of position. But I think it would be a mistake to completely drop Karasev from the rotation after one season.

And your idiocy continues…Karasev is still a very good prospect who was playing for a coach who didn’t like playing rookies AT ALL. You guys REALLY think Bennett’s knee was hurt at the end-of-the-season? It may have been sore for a week but he could’ve played almost assuredly. Instead, cuz of the Cavs 2nd half playoff push, the Cavs knew that Bennett would get less minutes from Brown so basically they just shut him down. I am quite sure that is what happened…

I’m so glad you guys wanna draft MKG/Tony Allen with the #1 pick! Fantastic outside-the-box thinking! I mean, sure, we know that the most effective (read: useful) defenders in the NBA are bigs but hey, you guys aren’t afraid to buck convention! Good on ya!

Dude — Tony Allen is 6-4 with a 36.5 vertical coming out of college and a hitch in his shot. Wiggins has a solid shot, 6 inches more reach and 7 inches more hops. That’s a full foot of reach to shoot over when Wiggins gets a good jump.

Definitely not a sure thing, but a good kid that will give us plenty of highlights and be fun to watch. Like Lebron / Durant / Wade & Kobe he’s an athletic freak. But they are also competitive freaks with more basketball talent.

When all is said and done all the excitement surrounding this draft will have come from the pre-draft dialogue.

Everybody will be on the edge of their seat when the Commissioner walks up to the podium and says, “With the first pick of the 2014 NBA Draft the Cleveland Cavaliers select (pause) Kansas guard Andrew Wiggins.” All the excitement will come from the pause. We’ll all think, “Oh. That’s it?”

I’m only saying that because when the trade deadline approached we were all in this same type of frenzy. The possibilities were endless. And we got Steve Hawes. “Ok. That’s it?”

Not necessarily a fan of Bleacher Report, but the story is valid. All the talk pre-draft is just hype. There are rarely very few transcendent players to come along. You can analyze video until you are bug-eyed, but in the end, it still doesn’t translate to what will happen on an NBA floor. We can spout our personal opinions all we want because, hey that’s fun to do. But we have only slightly less of a clue than the guys making the call.

That’s true, Tom, which is why I am in the camp of trade for a 3 & 10 or 4 & 12 plus an established player camp if it materializes. I’d rather have two chances at a star than one. And an established player with good cred beats a highly hyped future bust any day.

If we trade back, we better pick up Embiid, an additional first rounder this year, and an established player that can contribute from day 1 (ala #3, #10 and Young/Noel).

If we want to be ballsy and get LeBron back and win 2-3 championships, you trade the #1, Thompson, and Bennett for Kevin Love. Then you get LeBron to sign. Then you win a title this year and Love re-signs.

The Lineup: (Click for Author’s Archive)

Nate Smith is an Associate Editor. He grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to NE Ohio in 2000. He adopted the Cavs in 2003 and graduated from Kent State in 2009 with a BA in English. He can be contacted at oldseaminer@gmail.com or @oldseaminer on Twitter.

Tom Pestak is an Associate Editor. He's from the west side of Cleveland and lives and (mostly) dies by the success and (mostly) failures of his beloved teams. You can watch his fanaticism during Cavs games @tompestak.

Robert Attenweiler is a Staff Writer. Originally from OH, he's long made his home in NYC where he writes plays and screenplays (www.disgracedproductions.com) some of which end up being about Ohio, basketball or both. He has also written for The Classical and the blog Raising the Cadavalier. You can contact him at rattenweiler@gmail.com or @cadavalier.

Benjamin Werth is a Staff Writer. He was born in Cleveland and raised in Mentor, OH. He now lives in Germany where he is an opera singer and actor. He can be reached at blfwerth@gmail.com.

Cory Hughey is a Staff Writer. He grew up in Youngstown, the Gary, Indiana of Ohio. He graduated from Youngstown State in 2008 with a worthless telecommunications degree. He can be contacted at theleperfromwatts@yahoo.com or @coryhughey on Twitter.

David Wood is our Links Editor. He is a 2012 Graduate of Syracuse University with an English degree who loves bikes, beer, basketball, writing, and Rimbaud. He can be reached on Twitter: @nothingwood.

Mallory Factor is the voice of Cavs: The Podcast. By day Mallory works in fundraising and by night he runs a music business company. To see his music endeavors check out www.fivetracks.com. Hit him up at Malloryfactorii@gmail.com or @Malfii.

John Krolik is the Editor Emeritus of Cavs: The Blog. At present, he is pursuing a law degree at Tulane University. You can contact him at johnkrolik@gmail.com or @johnkrolik.

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